Forty Days Full - An Invitation To Real Life

Day Twenty-Two: Love

“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command – Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14 NIV)

L ove came from God because He is love. Love is not something He does; it is who He is. It is impossible for Him not to love because it is His nature. To remove love from God would be to remove God from God. It's impossible. This is why the accusation of the serpent toward Eve was so ridiculous. At the core of his temptation he was saying God is withholding His love from you. Like everything else the devil says, this is a lie. There are so many who've been duped by this lie. That to withhold something is to withhold love. Is a parent who withholds the car keys from a five-year-old withholding love? Is a railing on a bridge withholding love? Is posting a speed limit on the freeway withholding love? These are all ridiculous examples, but they are just as foolish as the accusations I've heard people hurl at God for being unloving. God will never withhold His love, but many have a childish understanding of love. "If you love me, you'll give me whatever I want." It all comes down to how you define love. What kind of parent would I be if I gave into every desire of my child? When she complained about a teacher who gave her homework, what should I do? I could make her happy by agreeing with her how mean her teacher is. "You don't need to listen to your teacher, she hates you. Throw your homework away. Here's a hot fudge sundae. Would you like anything else? How about a shot of whiskey?" No, I encouraged my